1.Everyone shall possess the right to freely express and publicise his thoughts in words, images or by any other means, as well as the right to inform others, inform himself and be informed without hindrance or discrimination
2.Exercise of the said rights shall not be hindered or limited by any type or form of censorship
Constitution of the Portuguese Republic, Article 37.º

Casey Anthony: Profile Of A Sociopath

The Orange County employee who called 911 yesterday to report the discovery of a human skull told the dispatcher that the skull was found in "the Caylee Anthony area." That 911 call has since been released to the media and can be heard here. The skeletal remains are currently being examined by the FBI to determine if they are Casey Anthony's missing two-year-old daughter, Caylee Anthony.

2-year-old Caylee Anthony (presumed dead) has been missing since June 9, 2008

Casey Anthony has finally been indicted for the first-degree murder of her daughter, Caylee Anthony. Casey is a sociopathic, superficial sensationalist. To a mental health professional, she fits the description of someone with an antisocial personality disorder - just a fancy name for "sociopath."

The disorder is recognizable by a lack of concern for others, as evidenced by her behavior after Caylee disappeared. She did not call 911 to report her daughter missing; that task was left to her mother, weeks after Caylee disappeared. While her daughter was missing, Casey was out ”clubbing”, buying lingerie and other sundry items for herself from Target, and cooking dinner for her boyfriend and his roommates.

Casey has consistently displayed contempt towards authority figures, masked by a thin veneer of civility. Listening to the police tapes, it is easy to see that Casey appears to be quite respectful to the police interviewers. She portrays herself during these interviews as one who has been wronged by a (fictitious) babysitter named Zanny, who, according to her story, kidnapped her beloved Caylee. Casey has been, according to her and to her family, maligned, misunderstood, and martyred.

In reality, Casey believes she is above the law. She presents herself as a mother who is only interested in finding her child. Yet she has done nothing but lie to the police and fabricate stories.

Everything she does is designed to protect herself by outwitting and outsmarting the legal authorities. She continues to display a great disdain for law enforcement, as evidenced by her unwillingness to tell the truth or be in any way helpful in locating her daughter.

Psychopaths are superficially charming in their ongoing attempts to get their own way. Casey has the capacity to read others quickly and recognize their vulnerabilities. Once recognized, she knows how to exploit others' weaknesses. She seems to have no qualms about violating the rights of others. Casey stole her friend's checkbook and wiped out her bank account, and not a cent of the money was spent on Caylee.

It is typical for sociopaths to engage in illegal or deceitful behaviors. Compulsive lying is the norm. Guilt and remorse are not in their vocabulary. All sociopaths are incapable of feeling sorrow or sadness for their wrongdoings and destructive behaviors. Any tears you might see are for themselves. “I am crying because I got caught, not because I am sorry for anything I have said or done.” On some level, a sociopath takes perverse pleasure in getting away with illegal, irresponsible behaviors. Yes, a sociopath takes great joy in taking from others. "Joy" is the correct word.

To a sociopath, others are always expendable: family, friends, acquaintances. Once others have been bled dry, the sociopath moves on. Loyalty is not a part of who they are. They have no desire to change and no insight into their own behaviors and motivations. Caylee is missing, but Mom is partying and lying to both her friends and family about her daughter’s whereabouts.

Sociopaths are narcissistic and exhibitionistic, with no sense of shame. Nothing exists in their world but what they want - the ultimate “Me, Me, Me” syndrome. They are characterized by an excessive superficiality, in both thoughts and behaviors. They are easily bored and made restless by day-to-day responsibilities, an attitude which makes consistent parenting a drag and an impossibility. Sociopaths create their own reality, and in this instance, Casey’s world did not include her daughter.

Casey was a parasite, living off of others. She had no high-school education, no job, no goals, no direction. But, to hear her story, she worked at Universal Studios and was attending college. A sociopath always views his or her problems as stemming from flaws in others, rather than taking responsibility for his or her own issues and the havoc they have created.

As a sociopath, Casey wants to control her own destiny and create her own reality, abhorring any form of criticism or denigration. At some point, she might experience feelings of depression. These feelings would not be because her daughter is missing or dead, but because she lacks the freedom she craves. Having been arrested and accused, she is no longer in charge of her own fate, and for a sociopath, who values freedom more than anything else, that is devastating.

Interestingly, sociopaths like Casey will expect others to attempt to belittle or use them. At times, the sociopath will willingly act in such a manner as to induce others to legitimately respond in a hostile or angry manner. Casey has repeatedly demonstrated this with her continued lying, lack of sadness about her daughter’s disappearance, and few displays of emotions related to the fact that her daughter Caylee is missing or dead. Listening to the taped interviews, one can easily discern that Casey expresses almost no emotion when discussing her daughter’s disappearance.

Sociopaths are incapable of remaining in love, or of even selflessly loving anyone. Their sex lives are most often impersonal and chaotic, and frequently they are bisexual. There is in them an emptiness, a coldness, a disconnection from others and themselves. Casey is incapable of truly understanding how much others can be made to suffer as a result of her behavior. It does not compute.

A sociopath's motto is: Competition is king, survival the agenda, and no one is ever, ever, ever to be trusted. A sociopath's mantra: “Do unto others before they do unto you.”

Dr. Juliann Mitchell, PhD. is a liscensed psychologist. She is author of three books: Rape Of The Innocent, From Victims To Survivors, and The Dynamics Of Crisis Intervention.